Gophers basketball: Andre Hollins suffers ankle injury

Minnesota guard Andre Hollins writhes on the court after injuring his ankle early in the game against Wisconsin. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Andre Hollins, the leading scorer on the Gophers men's basketball team, suffered a left ankle injury 12 seconds into Wednesday night's game against No. 9 Wisconsin after hitting the first basket of the game.

Hollins, who averages 16.2 points, writhed in pain after coming down awkwardly. The junior guard was helped off the Williams Arena court by team trainers but couldn't put weight on his left foot.

The Gophers tweeted that Hollins would be re-evaluated and that his return was questionable.

First-year Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said Tuesday that Hollins had been suffering from a toe injury that caused him to wear down late in games, including Sunday's 21-point loss at Iowa.

Hollins was held to just two of his 20 points in the second half.

Senior guard Malik Smith, who averages 9.6 points and leads the team with 87.8 percent free-throw shooting, replaced Hollins in the lineup Wednesday.

Junior center Mo Walker came off the bench to give his team a huge lift after Hollins' injury. The 6-10 Canadian reached a career high with 14 points in the first half on 6-for-8 shooting to give the Gophers a 34-28 lead at halftime.